The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 11: Ari

"Soon you will know the truths beyond the lies."

What the hell does that mean? I wonder.

I wake up, gasping and my eyes opening fast, with the sun illuminating through the window of my room, blinding my face with the dawn of the light over the ocean horizon. It turns out that the window is facing east and I forgot to close the curtains. I lift myself out of bed and glance out the window, realizing that all I see is water. Lots of it. Like a whole freaking ocean right outside! Perhaps I should have noticed before I went to bed, but it was too dark outside. Instead, I paid more attention to my dinner before going to bed. I forgot that Mr. V told me that Research Base Amelia is on a remote island.

Still, I wonder about that strange woman in the woad blue cloak. Gunhild, was it? In the dream, we can communicate. It feels uncanny.

I also wonder about my sisters, The Neon City Valkyries. What are they doing now? I miss Cleo, my co-captain, yelling obscenities on a holographic computer screen as she streams her favorite games on social media. I miss Lucia, as she would create digital paintings on her computer while streaming the progress of her artwork to her millions of followers.

And my coach, Dr. Kari. I miss her too, even though she's a bit of a hardass, but she's a hardass for a reason. It's kind of contagious, actually. Without Dr. Kari, fear and shyness would overcome my ability to lead a team. I thank her for turning me into the soldier-athlete that I am today. Still, they're a bit like family.

I rummage through the room's closet and put on something decent to wear. A white buttoned shirt, matching slacks, and white slip-on shoes. Not much of a selection, but it'll suffice.

Before leaving, I attempt to call Dr. Williams. She did not answer. She's must be in the middle of a research project. Instead, I just leave a voice mail stating that I intend to head out for breakfast.

Afterward, I walk from my room and follow the signs to the café on the bottom floor, taking my time to appreciate the clean architecture of this sophisticated, technological, donut-shaped facility.

I arrive at The Café of The Court about ten minutes later. I assume the café would look like a boring university cafeteria, like at the CrystalCorp campus. No — this place is rather fancy. The décor comprises vines and branches along the walls to match the scenery found around The Great Tree. An En'ari waiter assigns me to a wooden table held up with a thick tree root. The android hands me a digital tablet, displaying the menu, complete with detailed pictures of the fae's favorite delicacies.

I swipe through the menu, and they all look delicious and mouthwatering. However, the names of the dishes are in the Reul-Sìthe native alphabet. Fortunately, the pictures simplify the ordering process, allowing me to customize my entrée. I tap on the pictures, and I wait to partake in the fine cuisine. I choose a platter resembling fried eggs, bacon strips, whole baby mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, refried beans, and toasted sticks of bread. A holographic message appears on the tablet, telling me the estimated time for my order is fifteen minutes.

During that wait, three people of interest take a seat at my table. It's Dr. Williams, along with Samza and Mezos. The goat-horned boy sits next to me while the bunny-eared girl and The Doc sit across from me.

"Good morning, Ari," Dr. Williams says, her lips grinning in delight.

"Hi, Doc," I greet back, letting out a brief sigh.

Mezos jerks his head towards me with a concerning look. "You didn't catch us waving our hands at you?"

"I didn't notice," I say.

"Well," Samza let out a brief chuckle, "considering your facial expressions when you were staring at the pictures on that menu — Yup! We knew there's one thing on your mind — stuffing your face."